South Chungcheong Province said Sunday it has secured 9.8 billion won in central government funding after being selected for a Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) initiative to build an AI-based customized support system for smart humanization products targeting global markets.
With the selection, the province will invest a total of 22 billion won — including 9.8 billion won in state funds and the remainder from local government budgets — to establish a Pet Food Commercialization Support Center within the Naepo Agri-Life Cluster by 2030.
The Korea Bio Specialized Center Council will serve as the lead implementing agency, with participation from the Korea AI Medical Healthcare Research Institute, Chungnam National University and the Korea Testing Laboratory.
The center will handle full-cycle support for exporting customized functional pet food, including: △AI-based prototype development and optimization using pet bio-data △establishing and operating efficacy, stability and functionality verification systems △country- and product-specific regulatory compliance support for overseas expansion.
The province expects the center to accelerate the development of a green bio industrial ecosystem by linking it with research and industrial infrastructure already under construction within the Naepo Agri-Life Cluster.
The cluster currently houses several facilities being developed in phases, including: △a Green Bio Venture Campus △a Medi-Food Global Business Support Center △an eco-friendly agricultural machinery digital technology R&D support center △a Smart Innovation Support Center.
The province is also pursuing a building HVAC-based energy-independent (zero-energy) vertical farm model development project to advance a future-oriented agri-life technology platform encompassing production, research and demonstration.
"This selection is a significant achievement that completes the integration of the research support complex within the Naepo Agri-Life Cluster," a provincial official said. "We will build an industrial structure where production, research, demonstration and commercialization are organically linked to develop the Naepo Agri-Life Cluster into Korea's premier green bio hub, and we will spare no effort in supporting the growth and development of the pet-related industry within the province."